Oakland police release video City Hall being occupied

Share this:

Oakland police released a video Wednesday that they say shows protesters at the Occupy Oakland demonstration on Saturday using a pry tool to break into City Hall.

The video shows protesters entering the building, throwing trash on the ground and stealing an American flag. Several flashes take place before the video shows protesters setting fire to an American flag on the steps of City Hall.

Police allege that protesters severely damaged a historic model of City Hall, vandalized offices and smashed windows. They said protesters allegedly tried to break into the elevator automation panel, tried to activate the fire sprinkler system and broke an interior window to one of the hearing rooms.

Saturday’s attempt to occupy vacant buildings in downtown Oakland resulted in the arrests of at least 400 protesters and injuries to three officers and several protesters. Police fired tear gas and flash grenades at the protesters, in attempts to make them disperse.

Dozens of protesters entered City Hall while police surrounded about 100 others and made arrests in front of the YMCA on Broadway. A speaker at Wednesday’s Occupy Oakland press conference said that the door to City Hall had been propped open by a security guard and that they did not break into the building.

A text message alert from Occupy Oakland just after 7:30 p.m. Saturday night announced that “people have broken into” City Hall, and that support was needed in a police stand-off.

Outside the YMCA around the same time, a protester announced to the crowd that their “comrades just broke into City Hall.”